The Tenth Man characters

Also known as Charlot

Appears from the start

A prosperous Paris lawyer imprisoned as a hostage during the German occupation. Accustomed to the protection of wealth and status, he is confronted with a lottery in which every tenth prisoner must die. Terror drives him to offer everything he owns to anyone willing to take his place.

Appears from the start

A poor, gravely ill fellow prisoner who draws an unmarked lot while Chavel draws one condemning him to death. With little expectation of surviving the prison in any case, Janvier considers Chavel's estate a chance to provide lasting security for his mother and sister.

First appears in chapter 2

Janvier's sister and one of the beneficiaries of the property exchanged for his life. After the war she lives at Chavel's former estate, burdened by what it cost her family and consumed by hatred for the unknown man whose fear made the bargain possible.

First appears in chapter 2

Janvier and Therese's elderly mother, who shares the house transferred to the family. Grief and hardship have weakened her, and the arrival of a stranger who says he knew Janvier connects the household to memories none of them can put aside.

First appears in chapter 3

A wanted wartime collaborator and former actor who appears at the estate claiming to be Jean-Louis Chavel. His practiced manner and knowledge of Chavel's history let him occupy an identity whose true owner is afraid to acknowledge it.